Martin O’Neill has admitted to ‘dismissing’ Jota until November at the earliest for a Celtic return.
It’s now been over 14 months since the winger suffered a serious ACL injury at Tannadice which kept him out of the entire 2025-26 season.
He has done most of his recovery work in Portugal, with little in the way of public updates on his condition.
O’Neill has revealed that Jota will be back at Lennoxtown on Wednesday, but this doesn’t mean that a recovery is expected any time soon.
Jota will be out until at least October time 😢
Celtic fans, send our superstar from Portugal a message 👇
Martin O’Neill on ‘cruel’ approach with Jota
O’Neill said: “Jota will be back with us on Monday week but being back and being fit are two different things.
“Until he’s really nearly fit to play, I’m sorry, you just have to dismiss him in that sense.
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“I can’t keep thinking every single day ‘when is he going to be playing’.
“I’ve already dismissed him until Halloween perhaps. But who knows how people come back.
“I’m sorry, it’s rather cruel but you say you just have to leave it, he’s not involved. I can’t worry about something that might be three months down the line.
“I have spoken to him a few times. We did a little Zoom call a couple of weeks ago.
“He’s been doing work in his home town so the sooner we get him on the field, the better.
“He should be out on the grass next week. Out on the grass and doing straight-line running for a cruciate, which I know myself because I did it, is different to doing twists and turns and stuff like that.
“But he’s been out a long time and I think he feels as if it’s doing fine.”
Celtic paid £8 million to bring Jota back to Glasgow in January 2025, just 18 months after selling him to Al-Ittihad for £25 million.
🔢 It appears that both Ralston and Donovan will be here next season…
Celtic’s injury issues in 2025-26
Last August saw Alistair Johnston pick up an injury from which he wouldn’t make a full recovery until the post-split period.
Cameron Carter-Vickers also missed most of the campaign with an Achilles issue.
Marcelo Saracchi would’ve made more than 32 appearances last season if not for injury, but he has yet to be brought back to the club permanently.
Callum Osmand’s Celtic rise was abruptly ended by a long-term injury which has threatened to keep him out for the rest of the season… only for it to be resumed again with an iconic goal on the final day.
Kelechi Iheanacho had an extremely stop-start campaign after being brought in without a pre-season, he too has yet to be brought back to Glasgow this time around.
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